Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41703439›Full record

ArticleBMC plant biology2026

Integrated ion, hormone, and proteomic analyses reveal the mechanisms of drought resistance in alfalfa (Medicago sativa).

Fenqi Chen, Xue Ha, Rong Gao, Huiling Ma

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Article in BMC plant biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Fenqi ChenPratacultural College, Gansu Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem, Ministry of Education, Pratacultural Engineering Laboratory of Gansu Province, Sino-U.S. Center for Grazing land Ecosystem Sustainability, Yingmencun, Anning District, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730070, China.
Xue HaPratacultural College, Gansu Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem, Ministry of Education, Pratacultural Engineering Laboratory of Gansu Province, Sino-U.S. Center for Grazing land Ecosystem Sustainability, Yingmencun, Anning District, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730070, China.
Rong GaoPratacultural College, Gansu Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem, Ministry of Education, Pratacultural Engineering Laboratory of Gansu Province, Sino-U.S. Center for Grazing land Ecosystem Sustainability, Yingmencun, Anning District, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730070, China.
Huiling MaPratacultural College, Gansu Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem, Ministry of Education, Pratacultural Engineering Laboratory of Gansu Province, Sino-U.S. Center for Grazing land Ecosystem Sustainability, Yingmencun, Anning District, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730070, China. mahl@gsau.edu.cn.

Funding

Biological Breeding-National Science and Technology Major Project 2022ZD0401102"Innovation Star" Project for Outstanding Postgraduates in Gansu Province No. 2025CXZX-838
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDrought stress is a major environmental limiting factor limiting forage yield. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a crucial perennial leguminous forage, yet its adaptive mechanisms to drought remain insufficiently understood.

resultsWe compared ion homeostasis, endogenous hormone levels, and protein expression in a drought-resistant (‘WL168’) and a drought-sensitive (‘Gannong No. 3’) alfalfa variety under drought stress and rehydration. The results showed that that dynamic changes in ions, particularly Na+, K+, and Ca2+, were closely associated with the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and water balance under drought. Rehydration effectively restored ion balance, especially for K+ and Ca2+. Hormonal analysis suggested that ZT, GA3, IAA, ABA, and SA in roots participated in the response to drought and subsequent recovery. Integrated proteomic and WGCNA revealed key pathways, including phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, and glutathione metabolism, responding to drought stress. Critical proteins such as MMK1, BSK3, carbonic anhydrase, and MYB11 were identified as contributors to alfalfa’s drought resistance.

conclusionsThis study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of drought resistance in alfalfa. The identified candidate genes and proteins offer valuable resources for future molecular-assisted breeding aimed at improving drought tolerance.

Indexed as

Medicago sativaPlant Growth RegulatorsPlant ProteinsDrought ResistanceDroughtsIonsProteomicsStress, PhysiologicalIonsPlant Growth RegulatorsPlant ProteinsCandidate genesCultivated alfalfaDrought stressEndogenous hormoneIon balanceProteomicsWGCNA

Identifiers

PMID41703439
PMCPMC12994246

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.